The present invention relates to portable headlamps, and specifically to headband configurations which can be used to mount a flashlight on the head.
An examination of prior art reveals several designs of headband for mounting a flashlight on the head. Closer examination indicates that they fail to provide certain preferred embodiments of the present invention. For example, the headlamp described by Griner, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,263,577, utilized a flashlight of unique construction, which is no longer being manufactured. The vertical adjustment of this flashlight was limited to the amount the headband could be canted on the head of the wearer.
The headlamp described by Allbritton, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,249,271, utilized a bulky, rigid headband, in which size adjustment was by means of a thumbscrew. A flashlight was secured to the headband by a pair of simple spring-clips, from which it could be dislodged by an impact from any of several directions. Because of the rigidity of the headband, there was no means of horizontal adjustment of the flashlight beam.
Blanchard, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,930, describes a clumsy belt affair which, by means of special attachment clips, could be adapted to mount a variety of flashlights on a person's head. Like all other prior art, it makes no provision for affixing more than one flashlight on the head.
Schweitzer, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,064, describes a headband which requires the use of a special flashlight with a tapered body. It cannot be used with any other type of flashlight, and it provides no means for vertical adjustment of the flashlight beam. It also provides no means for size adjustment, other than that available thru the inherent elasticity of the headband material.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,249, Kotchy utilizes an elastic band to secure a single C or D-type flashlight to a person's arm. This invention is not designed for, and no provisions are made for, mounting a light on a person's head. As described, the flashlight is attached by pushing each end thru slots in the elastic band. Security is determined entirely by the elasticity of the band material, thus inviting the possibility that one or both ends of the flashlight could be dislodged by an impact. Furthermore, when mounted as intended on the forearm, this invention permits only three positions of angular adjustment of the beam.